Moscow, May 12, 2017
Photo: spbda.ru A Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Thursday, May 11 in the chapel at the St. Petersburg Hermitage Museum for the first time in 100 years, reports the site of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy.
The first episcopal Liturgy since the bloody 1917 Russian revolution in the Hermitage, which once served as the main residence of the Russian emperors in St. Petersburg, was celebrated by Archbishop Ambrose of Peterhof, the rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. The Liturgy was concelebrated by a number of local clergy and sung by two choirs from the academy, with academy students and museum employees present.
Archbishop Ambrose stated, “We have glorified the Risen Lord in these Paschal days, in the church dedicated to His Image Not-Made-By-Hands. The connection between time and the history of our great Fatherland is felt here. Although this is a renewed church, the spirit of the past is present in it anyways, because it’s impossible to remove from eternal memory the prayers and supplications of all the people who have entered under the arches here, to receive a blessing for the very difficult but great task of managing the Russian state.”
During the Liturgy, the clergy and parishioners prayed for the repose of the great rulers, emperors, and empresses of Russia, as well as the deceased heads and employees of the museum, and also the for the health of the current staff.
Reflecting upon the historical significance of the day, the archbishop exclaimed, “The Body of the Church is living and acts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is precisely the Holy Spirit that directs us on the path of life and instructs us how to act, so as not to interfere with the benevolent providence of God, Who cares not only for each of us, but for our people, for our Church, and for our Fatherland and our churches.”
